How to pronounce tact
Say it like TAKT. Tact is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- TAKT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Tact pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TAKTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of tact
American and British speakers say tact in essentially the same way: /tækt/ in the US and /tækt/ in the UK.
British respelling: TAKT.
What does tact mean?
- Sensitive mental touch; special skill or faculty; keen perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances; the ability to say the right thing and avoid statements that will give offence or pain even if true.“By the use of tact, she was able to calm her jealous husband.”
- Propriety; manners (etiquette).
- The sense of touch; feeling.
- The stroke in beating time.
- A verbal operant which is controlled by a nonverbal stimulus (such as an object, event, or property of an object) and is maintained by nonspecific social reinforcement (praise).
- To use a tact (a kind of verbal operant).
Where does tact come from?
Borrowed from French tact, following a semantic shift from earlier tact (“sense of touch; feeling”), borrowed from Latin tāctus (“touched”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
- sensitivity
- consideration
- diplomacy
- tactfulness
Words that rhyme with tact
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of tact.
Words that sound like tact
Questions about saying tact
How do you pronounce tact?
Say TAKT. The American pronunciation is /tækt/. In British English it is /tækt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in tact?
Tact is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: TAKT.
Do Americans and Brits say tact the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /tækt/ and the British form is /tækt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as tact?
Tact sounds the same as tacked in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.